Independent evaluation provides early insight into 14–16 qualification reform
New independent research provides an early picture of how reforms to qualifications for 14 to 16-year-olds are being experienced by schools, learners, parents and carers across Wales.
The research, commissioned by Qualifications Wales and carried out by Alma Economics, is the first phase of a multi-year evaluation which will follow the implementation of the new national 14-16 qualifications. The research is a formative
evaluation, intended to understand how the reforms are being implemented in different school contexts and explore their emerging impact on learners, educators and the wider education system.
This first report focuses mainly on the Wave 1 of made-for-Wales GCSEs, which were introduced for first teaching in September 2025. It draws on surveys of school staff and senior leaders, learners, parents and carers, alongside more detailed research with schools across Wales.
Key findings
The findings provide an important early snapshot of the reforms. They show that experiences vary between schools and subjects, and are influenced by factors including staffing and resources, learner needs, attendance and a school’s existing
capacity. The research explores the experiences of those taking part, rather than providing findings that are representative of, or can be generalised to, the wider population. It found that:
- many school staff supported aspects of the reforms in principle, including a greater focus on skills and more practical and relevant content in some subjects
- staff raised concerns about the timing and availability of resources, guidance and support during the early stages of implementation
- non-examination assessment (NEA) was a common area of concern, particularly around workload, scheduling and the cumulative impact of assessments across different subjects
- learners were generally positive about their GCSE choices, with 73% saying they were able to choose subjects they were interested in
- some learners who had experienced digital assessment viewed it positively, although schools raised questions about infrastructure and preparing for its wider introduction
- parents and carers were generally positive about the value of the new GCSEs and their role in supporting learners’ future studies or careers.
The data was collected prior to changes announced last summer by WJEC to address workload considerations linked to NEA. The report emphasises that these findings reflect a very early stage of implementation. At the time of the research, learners had not yet completed their first year of the new qualifications and many aspects of the wider reform programme had yet to be introduced.
Tom Anderson, Director of Analysis and Insight at Qualifications Wales, said:
“This independent evaluation gives us valuable insight into how the first wave of reformed GCSEs are experienced in schools at this early stage. It highlights both encouraging signs and areas where schools and learners are experiencing challenges as
they adapt to significant change.
“It is clear that wider context - both in terms of differing school communities and levels of change across the system - are influencing short-term impacts linked to the changes in the qualifications.
“It’s important that we continue to listen and learn as the reforms are implemented. This research gives us an important baseline and will help us understand how experiences develop over the coming years. This work should inform our approach to future reforms of qualifications taken in schools."
The second year of the independent evaluation is now underway and will build on this early evidence as implementation continues.
Read the full independent evaluation report and executive summary to find out more about the findings.